iPad 5, iPad mini 2 & iPad mini Retina Could Switchup iPad Lineup

The iPad 5 and a cheaper iPad mini 2 could arrive this fall, but the iPad mini Retina may see a delay into 2014 according to a Citi analyst.
In a note to investors, share on CNet, Citi Research’s Glen Yeung claims Apple is readying three new iPad models for the near future, including the long rumored cheaper iPad mini, which he claims would be the iPad mini 2.
The note also claims Apple is planning the iPad 5 for fall and will completely stop production of the iPad 4 and iPad 2, which could switch around Apple’s iPad lineup and pricing.

iPad 5 Replaces iPad 4 & iPad 2

Rumors of an iPad 5 that borrows the looks of the iPad min are strong, and Yeung re-iterates this design change for the 9.7-inch iPad 5. The release is still on track for the second half of 2013, even as a case maker preps cases for a release in June.

The iPad 5 could look much more like the iPad mini, with thinner bezels and a thinner design. Martin Hajek

The iPad 5 processor will reportedly not come from Intel. The company was rumored to be working to produce some Apple A series processors, but Yeung’s sources claims Intel did not secure a win for the 22nm processor.

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Perhaps of greater interest is the claim that iPad 4 and iPad 2 production will end in the third quarter of 2013. Apple currently sells the iPad 2 and iPad 4, offering a cheaper option for iPad shoppers that want a full size iPad, though it is without the Retina Display.
This would mark a shift to Retina only iPad 9.7-inch models and could line up with rumors of two new iPad mini models.

iPad mini 2 & iPad mini Retina

We get clarification on a possible iPad mini strategy for the iPad lineup as Yeung talks about two new iPad mini models for 2013, though one could push out to 2014.

New claims point to a cheaper iPad mini 2 and a iPad mini Retina coming later.

There is a lot of talk about a cheaper iPad mini, an iPad mini 2 and an iPad mini 2 with a Retina Display. Yeung clarifies Apple possible plans, calling for a cheaper iPad mini 2 with a $230 to $250 price tag this fall and pointing to a separate iPad mini Retina model coming in late fourth quarter or in the first quarter of 2014.
While there are still some unknowns, we could see Apple’s iPad lineup look like this by the end of 2013 or early 2014.

• iPad mini 2 (no camera) – $230 to $250
• iPad mini – $329
• iPad mini Retina $399
• iPad 5 – $499

It’s not clear how Apple will position the original iPad mini, but if the iPad mini 2 is a cheaper version without a camera, we may see Apple keep the iPad mini in the lineup and offer the iPad mini Retina in place of the $400 iPad 2.